– Problems at Windsor
Published in Windlesora 15 (1997)
© WLHG
When Queen Victoria died on 22nd January 1901 there were problems: the last death of a sovereign had occurred in 1837, and no-one seemed to know what the procedure was. The Establishment was busy looking up what had been done when George IV and William IV had died.
The funeral was due to start from Osborne on Thursday 1st February. The arrangements for the beginning of the journey from the Isle of Wight were made by Colonel Sir Arthur Davison, Groom-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria. The new King Edward VII sent for Sir Frederick Ponsonby, who was Equerry, Assistant Keeper of the Privy Purse and Assistant Private Secretary to Queen Victoria to make the arrangements in Windsor. On Friday 25th January, Ponsonby went in a steam pinnace (small boat) to the yacht Victoria and Albert where the King told him that he wished Sir Frederick to undertake the arrangements for the final service in the Mausoleum at Frogmore on Monday 4th February. He also asked Ponsonby to have a printed ceremonial ready for him to see next Sunday morning.
Sir Frederick later wrote that he had no precedent to go by, and no idea who would attend this last ceremony, which it seemed he would have to stage-manage. He realised that the next day, Saturday, all shops would close early, and that on Sunday no-one would be working. He felt that while Arthur Davison had set a high standard, there was a possibility of the Windsor part being a fiasco.
Sir Frederick sent a telegram to Oxley the printer at Windsor saying that he wanted a ceremonial printed by Saturday evening. Oxley was to meet a messenger whom Sir Frederick was sending by an early train, to give him the written ceremonial. The King told him that only those who were staying at Windsor would attend the last ceremony, and therefore the list would be different from the London list.
Sir Frederick therefore telegraphed the Master of the Household’s clerk at Windsor Castle and asked him to send the names of all those who would be staying there. A sheaf of pink telegraph forms came by return giving the names and precedence of the guests who would attend the final ceremony.
King Edward then took charge of the arrangements and had all the difficult points submitted to him for his decision. He sent for Sir Frederick and told him that he wished him to take charge of the arrangements for the procession to St George’s Chapel, and give orders to the troops and police. Ponsonby telegraphed the Mayor (Cllr George Mitchell), the head of the police and the Officer Commanding the Troops (Brigadier General Sir David Kinloch) to meet him at the Guildhall. These men decided that there would be colossal crowds in Windsor and the procession should, therefore, go from the GWR station, past the Guildhall to Park Street and then up to the Castle through the gates at the top of the Long Walk. The actual detail of the procession was being managed by the Earl Marshal (Henry FitzAlan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk), and beyond having a few officers to marshal the procession, David Kinloch need not trouble about that.
Sir Frederick returned to Osborne, where on enquiring whether anything had been decided about the funeral at Windsor, he was told that “nothing of any sort had come from the Earl Marshal’s office about Windsor, as they were still concentrating on the London part”. Becoming anxious, he determined to go to London the next morning, Thursday 31st January, “in case it was supposed that I was doing thefuneral procession as well as the arrangements of troops, police etc’’.
At the Earl Marshal’s office he found “absolute chaos”. The Heralds claimed the right to manage the funeral under the direction of the Earl Marshal but had little precedent to work on. Work on the Windsor part of the funeral had not yet begun. “We haven’t finished Osborne and London yet” cried one of them. Sir Frederick pointed out that the funeral started from Osborne the next day and realised that if the Windsor part became a fiasco (as appeared only too likely) he would be blamed. He asked to see the Earl Marshal, who had delegated work to his subordinates and was unaware that this work was not being done. He was under the impression that a skeleton programme was being made out and this would only require names to be filled in. He was very put out to be told that nothing at Windsor had even been started, and said Sir Frederick had better see Lord Roberts, the Commander-in-Chief, forthwith.
At the War office he was told that Lord Roberts could see no-one, so he wrote on his card “FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS – URGENT” and was at once ushered in. On learning that nothing had been decided about the Windsor part, Lord Roberts gave Sir Frederick permission to give whatever orders were necessary, and say that this was with his approval.
On returning to the Earl Marshal’s office, Sir Frederick sent for a shorthand writer and dictated a programme with everything in categories – English Royal Family, Foreign Sovereigns, Foreign Princes, Representatives of Foreign Countries, Foreign Suites, etc. He took the typed list to the Duke of Norfolk, who made some corrections and said that “Some of the Heralds had complained at his rudeness and complaints of inefficiency’. Sir Frederick apologised, and said that no-one had given orders for the Battery of Horse Artillery, nor for the Life Guards, Foot Guards or Naval Guard of Honour. The Earl Marshal asked who was now going to give the orders, and was told that Lord Roberts had given Sir Frederick carte blanche.
The skeleton programme was printed and sent to the various authorities concerned, and checks were made to the Admiralty and War Office. By 2 a.m. on the day of the funeral all appeared to be in order.
At last the coffin arrived at Windsor after the long sad journey from Osborne. David Kinlock had arranged everything as outlined in the skeleton programme. The King and foreign sovereigns were in position and His Majesty gave permission for the signal to be given to start the procession. The signal was Sir Frederick holding up his hand. The drums began to roll and the procession started. But, as history records, the horses on the gun carriage had been standing still in the cold for some time, and as the lieutenant in charge never gave the command “Walk, March“, the two wheelers suddenly started off before the leaders, and finding an unusually heavy load, the horses began to kick and plunge. The traces broke and the gun carriage remained still. Meanwhile, the front of the procession slowly marched on, and the band had already turned into the High Street when an officer was sent to stop them. Everyone was trying to get the horses clear or to devise some makeshift. King Edward had to be informed exactly what had happened.
Then Prince Louis of Battenberg said “If it is impossible to mend the traces, the Naval Guard of Honour can drag the gun carriage”. Alternatives being suggested included trying to use two horses only to drag the gun carriage, and that “the route should be the shortest way up Castle Hill to St George’s’’, but this would have disappointed the crowd of several thousands. King Edward approved the proposal to take out the horses and let the Naval Guard of Honour drag the gun carriage. The Naval Guard was ordered to pile arms and take the places of the horses. A rope appeared necessary, but all the station master could produce was a steel hawser, which was useless. The Commanding Officer said that if he could have the broken traces, the sailors could manage. To the Artillery officers’ dismay, the sailors improvised. All this took fifteen minutes, and then for a second time the order to start the procession could be given. Sir Frederick held up his hand for a second time, the procession moved slowly into the High Street and on to Park Street, and up the hill to the Castle.
There was still the matter of the final funeral at Frogmore on Monday. King Edward told Sir Frederick that he wished the navy to drag the gun carriage as on the Thursday before, but as the Artillery had been deeply mortified by their failure at the station, he eventually agreed that they should draw the gun carriage, and this was arranged. It was decided to have a rehearsal, and this was organised for 11p.m. at night, drawing a box the same weight as the coffin which had been made by the Office of Works. It was pitch black, with no moon, and lanterns were used to light the scene and the route. All went well, and at last the box arrived at the Mausoleum. Because it was so heavy, one bearer party was to carry the coffin up the two flights of stairs and then be relieved by a second party. However, it was realised that the coffin would then be the wrong way round, and needed to be turned before entering the Mausoleum. This difficult manoeuvre had to be practised several times before it was deemed satisfactory, but the hazard of trying to turn the coffin without rehearsal was avoided.
Just to be on the safe side, ropes with hooks like traces were made and hidden in the Cloisters in case the horses kicked over the traces again, but everything went perfectly. However, the name of the Duke of Fife had been omitted from the list, and no one had noticed this, despite several checks. King Edward reprimanded Sir Frederick in front of the German Emperor, the King of the Belgians, the King of Portugal and the Duke of Fife, who was thus satisfied. Quietly the King later explained to Sir Frederick that he had had to say something strong, as the Duke, his son-in-law, had been so hurt.
Gordon Cullingham
Bibliography: Ponsonby, Sir Frederick: Recollections of Three Reigns
Windsor Local History Group 